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Waking Hours (Christine | G | ?): Christine's life before she entered the nine kingdoms. This is a wonderful look at Christine, who was never quite fleshed out fully in the movie. It's dark and lyrical and fits perfectly into what was shown about her.

Excerpt:She had thought that motherhood would be fun, or at least enthralling, but the whole sordid business, stretch marks and tender breasts, has become degrading. She can't even go back home; her stupid silly mother will giver her that look and say "I told you so," and Christine has far, far too much pride in her to stomach it.

999 Miles to Go (Yuki-Ayame | G | 2,456 words): Ayame drives Yuki to the hot springs. I like this because Ayame and Yuki are so estranged from each other but they're taking tentative steps towards being brothers and supporting each other, and it's nice. Plus, Ayame never fails to crack me up.

Excerpt:"What? What is it you want?" snapped Yuki.

"To think that you might drive off a cliff! This shows a distinct lack of responsibility on the part of your driver's education teachers! Never fear! For I shall take the reins in your education! Out with you! You, most undereducated and under-appreciated brother of mine, shall drive, with none other than myself as your exalted teacher!"

"I already know how to drive. You couldn't teach a snake how to bite."

"Nonsense!" Ayame exclaimed. "Why, I can teach anyone to drive! As a matter of fact, I was the one who taught 'Gure-san how to handle a vehicle!"

Ten Weddings Planned (Tara/Willow | G | 1,000 words): Ten snippets showing what Tara and Willow's wedding might have been like. Each one of these is sweet and fun.

Excerpt:They went to Vegas, because, y'know, everyone went to Vegas. And even though they couldn't actually get married, one of the chapels had a fantastic commitment ceremony-- you even got Elvis officiating.

Unfortunately, perhaps because they did it at midnight, or because it was just a commitment ceremony, or maybe it was just fate, they ended up with a trainee Elvis.

House of Cards (McKay, Zelenka, Sheppard | G | 2,215 words): McKay and Zelenka have a showdown to see who gets to work on the puddle jumpers. It's a fun idea written well.

Excerpt:So, the competition begins like this: with Radek and Rodney sharing a commiserating look over the as yet empty table. Then Rodney splits his deck, pulls out the card that had previously been in the middle, and lays it flat on the table.

Radek does not have the same strategy. He always begins with the two of clubs, as it is the card of least value in the deck (for most games that he plays, anyway) and thus, he thinks, should always be on the bottom. From there, it does not matter, but it is important to start off on a familiar foot.

At the Edge of the World (Zelenka | G | 2,058 words): Zelenka, pre-series, in Antarctica and what it was like. Lovely character piece, and I especially adored the bit where the scientists got to play with their work.

Excerpt:"Dr. Zelenka, how are things going?"

Radek looked up as Dr. Weir walked in. "I am not sure that these circuits are functioning," he told her, gesturing at the piece of Ancient equipment he'd inherited from McKay's latest attempt to get Carson to turn something on. "They do not appear to capable of carrying power."

Dr. Weir paused, looking like she was torn between a smile and a frown. "I actually meant, how are things going for you? We haven't had much of a chance to talk, since you arrived."

"Ah." Radek blinked, and thought about it. The work was challenging and plentiful, the people he worked with were competent, and the food was no worse than any he'd ever had at university or even -- sacrilege as it might be to say -- at his mother's table. He shrugged. "I am fine?"

Back to Nature (ensemble | G | 827 words): The Host Club goes camping. Ahaha, of course the Host Club can never do something the normal way.

Excerpt:Four large, RV campers the size of her apartment building each, feather mattresses, luxury bathrooms (with their own portable water tanks?!), and five-star chefs, maids, and personal attendants made this the farthest thing from camping Haruhi had ever experienced at a campsite, ever.

The twins had sighed at the description she'd given them when she'd talked about camping as a kid. "Why would anyone want to do that? It's like living like animals, isn't it?"

Phone Call (Booster Gold, ensemble | G | 1,191 words): Some members of the Justice League take exception to Booster trying to resurrect Ted Kord. Hee. It starts as a fairly standard authorial experession of anger at certain DC events, but it soon goes the way of a good prank. And there's an AU appearance by a sweet, much ignored character.

Excerpt:Actually, he supposed the day hadn't started all that normally, since he'd been researching ways to resurrect Ted. But, still, that was normal for him as far as the last few days were concerned. It wasn't even as if his research was going well, considering he didn't have access to any research tools more mystical than Google.

Apparently, however, this was enough to make his "dabbling in eldritch matters beyond mortal ken" (Flash's phrase, spoken in a heavily sarcastic, spooky tone) the focus of the JLA's meeting today.

To Conquer Fear (ensemble | G | 2,663 words): Grissom and the Bat clan team up to foil a supervillain plot. Oh, this is just plain fun. And it's in epistolary format!

Excerpt:To: bbb@secure.oracle.netFrom: ggrissom@lvmpd.comSubject: We appreciate the help

Considering that there are already three patrolmen in the hospital under treatment, we appreciate Nightwing's assistance. He's...impressive. At least, Sara certainly seems impressed.

I can assure you we're treating this case as hazmat. We've already had one close call, when the aforementioned new CSI nearly dosed himself while fooling around in the lab. Sometimes I wonder if Greg will ever learn.

Make Toys of Fate (Aang, Monk Gyatso | G | 607 words): Aang undergoes the test to see if he is the Avatar reborn. It's subtly poignant. Monk Gyatso is nothing but serene and loving, however we know what the future holds and that this is the beginning.

Excerpt:Gendun made a disapproving noise. "You are setting restrictions on him. You will bias the test."

Gyatso couldn't help a smile. "If you set a child loose in a room filled with toys and tell him he can take any he likes, he won't leave with just four."

Someday (Kagura/Kyo | G | 724 words): Kagura loves Kyo and is stubborn enough to wait for him. Honestly, Kagura has never been my favorite character, mostly because I don't quite get her. But this is such a loving look at her feelings for Kyo that I can't help but understand her motivations better and like her because of it.

Excerpt:Kagura loved Kyo, in the same way that the sun was pretty sure to come up in the east and go down in the west, and she had loved him for so very long that even Akito didn't bother to make her suffer for it. That was probably because Akito thought that the fact that Kyo tried to run away screaming every time Kagura came near him was enough punishment for Kagura falling in love with him.

Godchild (OC, Chihiro/Haku | G | 2,683 words): A morning's adventure for Chihiro and Haku's daughter. This is a lovely slice of life for what Chihiro and Haku's life might be like. Chitose, their daughter, is adorable, and I liked seeing how the spirit world was still present even though they're living in the human world.

Excerpt:Their house is the oldest in the neighborhood, a relic planted among new developments that have shot up all around like invasive weeds. Their garden, too, is old, and the pine tree that grows near the back wall is gnarled and ancient. It has a kindly spirit, a grey-haired lady who greets Chitose whenever she comes to say hello.

With no one awake but the pine tree, the garden is deeply still. The irises, the hydrangea, the lilies all lie slumbering, blanketed under earth and snow. Even the red plum and the white plum won't rouse themselves until February, at least. Once, some days after the first real frost of the year, Chitose went running through the garden, shouting "Wake up! Wake up!" at the top of her lungs, only to discover that none of the plants would heed her. They answered to other voices, her father had explained. Winter was their time to sleep.

At Dawn (Jack-Stephen | G | 1,741 words): Jack, looking for his cutlass, interrupts a sleeping Stephen. Ahh, this has such a feeling to it of the early morning hours when either you're just waking up, sleepy and warm and slightly befuddled (like Stephen), or you're already awake and bright-eyed and ready to take on the day (like Jack). Either way, it's a nicely serene time.

Excerpt:Stephen opened an eye. In the broad palm before him lay a string of ten dark beads with a ring at one end and a slender cross at the other. He took it silently from Jack's hand and brought it beneath the folds of his blanket.

A bell chimed on deck, followed by other early-morning sounds. Jack coughed quietly and ran a hand through his loose hair. He moved his towel from one shoulder to the other, gazing about in the darkness, possibly for a hovering cutlass.

"Will you swim now? Or sit?" murmured Stephen after a time. "Or will you continue to loom above me in that inquisitive and toweringly naked fashion? I do not have your blessed knife. I returned it to you last week."

"Did you? Perhaps so." Jack wrapped the towel round his waist. "Stephen," he said casually, "may I see that again?"

Like That (Shigure-Tohru | G | 711 words): Tohru takes care of the Zodiac ornaments in Shigure's office. This is a sweet story showing how Tohru positively affects the Sohmas' lives just by being herself.

Excerpt:Then he locked himself in his office, deliberating over each and every expression, before finally painting a few simple lines. But when he set them out to dry, excuse exhausted, he would have forgotten them.

Excerpts:11. May not replace the sugar with salt.12. May not replace the ketchup with chili sauce.13. May not mix hallucinogens in with anything.13a. I apologize. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between your pranks and an outside attack.13b. No, I'm not crossing 13 off the list. Just because you haven't done it before doesn't mean it's okay to do a first time.14. Death has not given you a clean slate. All previous incarnations of this list are still in effect.15. You rebuilt the teleporter mousetrap? Why?

Two Kids, Dog, House in the Suburbs (Hakkai/Gojyo | G | 316 words): Years after the series ends, Gojyo and Hakkai sort of inadvertently collect a family (complete with a dog). Hee, this is nicely domestic. I like to imagine that this could be a possible future for Gojyo and Hakkai.

Excerpt:Souen was the child of a murderer captured by the Three Aspects. He was going to be taken in by the temple, but Gojyo objected; "There's no way," he said, "I'd let those stupid monks raise a kid." They were planning to give him back once the murderer had served her sentance, but she commited suicide halfway through.

Why You Don't Do Magic in the Library (ensemble | G | 456 words): The Young Avengers end up in the library of Unseen University. It's fun seeing the Young Avengers interacting with some of Discworld's inhabitants.

Excerpt:The tubby young man who had been introduced to Eli as Ponder Stibbons hand spent the last hour trying to explain just why Billy's teleportation spell had landed them in another dimension as they had hunted for the rest of the team. Rincewind had simplified it to "Books warp reality," and left it at that.